Banff

Oct 13-15
UA1780 IAH-YYC, UA1607 YYC-IAH

Although we have spent a lot of time in Banff National Park through the years, we had never really spent much time in Banff Village.  When I found availability of a free hotel night in Banff and well-priced flights, I scheduled our last Canada 150 national park trip.  Going this late in October meant the weather was a little risky, but although it was cold and a bit icy, we still managed to explore the town and even find new areas of the park that we hadn’t been to before.  Three trips to Rockies in one year was certainly a lot, but each trip offered something new and a chance to see more of what Canada has to offer.

Oct 14

After staying overnight by the airport, we made our to Banff, checking out some of the normal spots along the highway, and headed up to the very cold Lake Louise, anticipating that crowds may grow later in the day. We managed to find an icy hike before finally making it to our hotel in Banff and exploring the town, including a nice dinner.

Lightly snow covered Bow River on our way into Banff

Lake Louise on a very cold morning

Quick walk around the shore

The Fairmont Lake Louise looking stately in the snow

Starting the icy Johnston Canyon Hike

One of the waterfalls along the hike

Freshly snow covered

Much of trail is metal and hanging above the cliff, making an excellent breeding ground for ice

Snow covered canyon

Lower waterfall

Lower Johnston Falls

Further downstream from the fall

Interesting rock coloration

Closer up to the falls

Upper Falls

Making our way out of the canyon

Back along the Trans Canada

Back along the Bow heading into the town of Banff

Main street Banff and feeling a little warmer

Hiking along the Bow in Banff

Looking back up the river

The sun making a brief appearance before sunset

Bow falls

Checking out Banff Springs hotel before heading to our more modest accommodations.

After a nice day in the park we had dinner in town and had a well deserved rest.

October 15

Although another winter like morning, it was warming up and we took advantage of our time in park and explored more of the nearby attractions, getting a little better perspective on the area by driving up Tunnel Mountain Road before heading back to Calgary for our flights home.

Looking down on the Bow from Tunnel Mountain road

Better perspective on the full size of the Banff Springs

More panoramic views along the way

The bending Bow

Lake Minnewanka

Mountains over shadow the lake

Valley below from just outside the Banff Gondola

Final view of the hotel and river before we head back to Calgary

After a nice morning in the park, we made our way back to Calgary and flew back to Houston and Toronto, ending our 2017 year of the Canadian National Park.